A Show To Remember
by Midge90
Summary: Five years gone, and Aang is unhappy with the state of his rescued world, and with who he has left behind. One show will fix both these problems. Kataang. My first fic! :
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, so this is my first real attempt at my own fic. I love reading everyone else's so i figured its time to try my hand. Please let me know if its any good, iv got the second half fully written and ready to upload if this ones ok! :)

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As the years progressed, he had found that being the Avatar had its good sides. He was offered free lodgings and food wherever he went on official "Avatar duty" as Sokka had started to put it. Unknown to those who gave it, though, he would always leave at least a few silver pieces behind after he left, feeling the need to compensate those who's hospitality had been so readily offered. There was the satisfaction in feeling his obligations fulfilled, his part played in the grand scheme of things, doing his duty to the world he still felt he had abandoned all those years ago. And there were the fan girls. Oh, the fan girls...

However, it clearly brought about its downsides as well. No matter how much he travelled, how much he gave, how much he invested of himself, there was still something not quite right. World council meetings descended into plain bickering and squabbling, with lame threats being handed out left, right and centre, with no actual progress on the rebuilding of the world. That, and the fact that the constant travelling all over the world had eventually driven his friends from him.

Zuko's duty was with the Fire Nation, trapped in the palace and seemingly unable to help at the council meetings, constantly being undermined by his aides and advisors who seemed hell-bent on seizing what little power they had been granted.

Toph had returned to the Earth Kingdom, not back to her family, but with old Iroh in his Jasmine Dragon, in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. Unknown to her however, when she returned to Gaoling to fight in the Earth Rumble tournaments which had become world famous as a challenge to the might of the Blind Bandit, her parents were present at every fight, cheering their voices hoarse for their little princess Toph.

And of course, the most painful separation. Sokka and Katara had been duty bound to return to the Southern Water Tribe, to begin the long process of healing, rebuilding, and restoring the tribe to a glory to match its sister. Much to his annoyance, he still could not bring himself to write to them. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because it hurt too much to think of her. Gone.

It took five years. Five years of constant bickering, arguing, and bitter slanging matches before the Avatar had had enough. Enough of the petty, childish game of politics, and he was filled with a desire to put an end to the squabbling.

Months it took him. First, the consultations with his previous lives. Roku told him it was necessary. Kyoshi told him it was nothing unlike what she herself had done to create her eponymous island. Kuruk told him he had done exactly the same thing hundreds of years ago, faced with the same issues, not from the world leaders necessarily, but from those who sought to undermine the balance brought to the world by having this council.

Next came the preparation. Invitations were sent out, to every world leader, to every one of his aides and advisors, to all the people who were rich and powerful enough to possibly turn one nations head away from the desire for peace. And no-one, not a single soul, was brave enough to reject a direct request from the Avatar that they convene in one place, at one time.

The day came, and hundreds of people were milling restlessly about in a relatively remote area of the Earth kingdom, when a huge wall of rock suddenly disappeared from one side of them. Only Toph, who could feel the source of the commotion through her feet, smiled as she realised who had just collapsed an entire rock wall without even raising his heartbeat.

"It's been a long time Twinkletoes," she whispered to herself.

"COME!" The voice boomed out through the dust, the authority of a thousand lives coursing through the swirling remains of rock, which promptly vanished, flattened to the floor and forming a path through the gap which every person present immediately followed.

What they saw, astounded them.

Four huge metal stands, bended to accommodate every person he had invited, surrounded a huge earthbended pit surrounded by torches and huge troughs of water. Wordlessly, and without thinking to segregate into nations, the stands were slowly filled, and darkness took over the sky. Standing on top of the rock wall, Aang smiled with content.

He was going to put on a show they would never forget. Ever.

He dropped down, earthbending himself into the floor and below the people above him, surfacing again in the middle of the floor as if swimming. It was too dark for him to be seen yet, and using airbending, he raised his voice till it seemed the words came from the gods themselves.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN OF THE WORLD." His still childish at heart nature almost stopped him in a fit of giggles when he felt the effect of the words through his feet, the way Toph had taught him all those years ago.

"I have gathered you here tonight for one reason. Five years ago, I returned from my accidental self-imprisonment. The world was in a state of chaos. Fire Lord Ozai had nearly completed his grandfathers mission – to take over the entire world. I returned, and promised people a time of peace unlike any ever seen before, where the pain, loss and suffering of a hundred years of war would be slowly soothed and healed until the nations could live as one world once more."

He paused here, his voice gathering a sombre tone.

"Yet still, in these three monthly councils, I hear voices of dissent, of disrespect for other nations, of a desire for revenge, for war, for blood. This is not what I promised this land. For five years, I have tried to stop these lustful desires for power. I was taught by the monks to covet nothing, to love freely, and to guard nothing with jealousy. So I stand here before you to tell you."

He gathered his breath once again.

"I WILL, NOT, TOLERATE THIS!"

A howling wind rushed through the crowd, chilling them to their very bones with the thought of what was to come. A huge fireball lit the sky, some screamed, some purely stared as a raging spout of air punctured the fireball, splitting it into one hundred tiny fragments which dropped down towards the crowd.

Several cowered in fear as the flames grew nearly, only for them to land perfectly on the torches arranged around the pit. The sudden light revealed him.

Avatar Aang. The boy who had defeated one of the most powerful non-Avatar firebenders ever seen, during the presence of Sozin's comet. Only, he was no longer a boy. Shirtless, he stood atop a tower of air, bowed in the gesture of respect. Eighteen years of age, the youngest, and most powerful fully realised Avatar in the history of all his past lives. Hard muscles had slightly bulked out his once skinny frame. Several of the girls in the stands blushed, but no-one could dare to raise even a cat-call.

The wind suddenly vanished, and he dropped down to the uneven rocks of the pit below, landing soundlessly like the lemur companion that had become one of his trademarks.

"I have mastered every bending discipline there has ever been.

Airbending, taught to me by the Air Nomads. I was the youngest master they ever trained.

Waterbending, taught to me by Master Pakku and the Lady Katara.

Earthbending, taught to me by the greatest earthbender in this world, Toph Bei Fong.

Firebending, taught to me by Fire Lord Zuko, and the dragons of the Sun Warriors.

Sandbending, taught to me by the sandbenders of the Si Wong desert and Toph Bei Fong

Bloodbending, taught to me by the Lady Katara.

Metalbending, taught to me by Toph Bei Fong.

Lightning, taught to me by General Iroh, Dragon of the West.

And energybending...."

The deliberate vagueness of the last sentence was lost on those who had truly forgotten the power of an Avatar.

And Aang began his show.

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Let me know if you like and second half will be up!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, heres the second half. Tell me what you think, any criticism will be happily received. Hope you enjoy! :)

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Instantly, water rushed from the troughs surrounding the pit. A huge sphere of water formed, which expanded until it encompassed the awestruck audience, but not soaking them. Instead, the water sank into the ground around the stands, and grass promptly sprang up from the once parched earthy floor.

A sheet of flame erupted towards the stands from Aang, but once again the flames left not only the crowd unharmed, but the newly grown grass as well. The flame seemed to reach the heavens, and swiftly died out as Aang pointed swiftly at all four stands, wrenching the roofs into points using Metalbending, as he carefully separated yin and yang around himself. He began to glow with the crackle of lightning, and fired off four careful bolts, electrifying the stands around him. They seemed to glow, even shimmer, as the electricity coursed over them, still leaving his audience untouched.

He sprang off the ground, rising nearly one hundred feet in the air, seemingly jumping up through thin air as he stopped, and dropped to the ground. Toph could feel the earth begin to tremble as he reached the floor, and the pit exploded into dust, which the Avatar contained, and sandbended the word PEACE into the floor of the pit surrounded by the insignias of the four nations, combined into one.

Carefully, he stood up.

"I shall not demonstrate Bloodbending or energybending here tonight, as I have made solemn promises to never practise these again unless in dire need. But heed this warning, attempt to stir up further unrest and attempt to bring war to this land, and you will suffer the consequences. Now leave this place, return to your homes and your people, and spread the word that there shall be peace in this land once more!"

His words resulted in an astonished round of applause, so thunderous it nearly lifted him off his feet. He earthbended himself a shelter, and sat down to rest and meditate while the crowd filtered away.

Soon though, he sensed a familiar pair of footsteps making their way to his tent. His shelter disappeared around him, and he found himself punched square in the shoulder. Without opening his eyes, he answered:

"Whats up Toph?"

"Whats up? WHATS UP? That was freaking amazing Twinkletoes! A little showy, but still!"

The Avatar suddenly grew anxious.

"Showy? Really? That's not what I was going for at all... well, it sort of was... but... I didn't..."

Toph laughed. "Chill out Twinkletoes, was just playing. It was precisely what these people needed to hear. Well, see. Okay, so I didn't _see_ much of it per se, but that was some awesome earth, metal and Sandbending. She giggled slightly. "Oh, and also, you could have flattered me a bit more. I was thinking, The Wondrous Toph Bei Fong. Or something awesome like that." She paused for a minute. "Hey Zuko!"

Zuko ignored her.

"Aang, man, that was phenomenal! That was, incredible! I'm glad you couldn't do that when I was chasing you 5 years ago!"

"Thanks Zuko, but it was more about trying to help you know? I thought, if there's anything –"

"Hey, in my book, you did exactly the right thing. No justification needed my friend."

Toph then decided to announce another arrival to their group.

"Sokka's coming!"

Aang looked up in surprise.

"Sokka?!"

"Aang!! WOAH! I mean, seriously dude, that was awesome! Like, amazing! Incredible! Iv never seen such bending!"

"Sokka, why are you here?"Aang quickly questioned.

"Oh, I get it. You don't want me here eh? S'fine, I can take that..."

"No, no! It's just, I don't want you guys to all think I've changed or something. Just cos I can do what I just did, I'm not a monster or anything! I'm just, Aang!"

"Hey, calm Aang. Relax. I'm here because Dad stepped down as Southern Water Tribe chief 6 months ago. He made me the next chief. So in future, it's Chief Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe to you mate!" But, ill let you off for just now because you didn't know about it..."

It took a while for the mischievous grin on Sokka's face to become apparent to Aang.

"Anyway, dude, what's with the whole not writing to me or anything? Surely Momo, while not being Hawky himself, would have made an okay messenger lemur?"

Aang felt his heartbeat skyrocket nervously.

"Uhm, well, you know Sokka, letters are hard to write sometimes... and, uh, you know, busy Avatar, and, stuff..."

"Yeah, well you don't have to apologise to me Aang. But there is someone you might want to apologise to. I brought her along, since she's now the Southern Water Tribe's greatest waterbender and my second in command."

If Aang's heart had skyrocketed previously, it now felt like it was going to explode.

"Uh, Sokka, what dyou mean?"

The group around Aang parted, and she stood there, the light from the torches surrounding her long dark hair with a halo glow that surely only an angel would possess. He caught her scent in the air, subtly bending it towards him. It had been three and a half years. Forty two months. Too long. Way too long.

She brought back memories. Memories so powerful they brought tears to the almighty Avatar's eyes. He looked up again from where his gaze had fallen, unable to cope with three and a half years added beauty. He had figured she would find a husband, a good water tribe man, and he would take care of her, and she would slowly forget about him. But he saw no betrothal necklace, not even her mothers, which she had guarded so fiercely for so long.

She spoke some words to him. He suspects she might have been saying hello, but her voice simply washes over him, like a cool shower on a hot midsummers day. More memories come flooding back. Laughing on Appa's back. Splashing in the various pools they had used for Waterbending training. Kissing her on the day of the invasion, when he felt sure he would face Sozin and not make it back alive. Kissing her, after finally ending the war, in the gaze of the beautiful sunset in Ba Sing Se.

He stammers a reply. She offers her hand to him, inviting him to walk with her, to find some peace. He takes it gladly, her skin on his purely serving to warm him once again. It has been so long, but he felt he had done the right thing, leaving her in the southern tribe. The long amounts of travelling would have strained them, he tells himself. Tries to convince himself that he'll say the same thing again.

But having her here, holding his hands, leading him away from the amused glances of the rest of Team Avatar, he tells himself he was so very, very wrong. She turns to him, once they have found a semi-secluded spot. With his Earthbending, he can tell the rest of the Team are waiting for him. For them.

Katara smiles. She carefully appraises him, still shirtless, sweating slightly even in the chill of the night. Then she slaps him. Hard. On the face.

He reels back, surprised. He was about to turn and run, when a thought crossed through him.

"_I probably deserved that"_

"Yeah, Aang, you did."

He blushes furiously when he realises he said that out loud.

"Katara, I mean, I know I deserved that, I was a jerk and an idiot, I meant to write to you, but I was... uh..."

"Sure thing Aang. Real convincing." She has stepped closer to him, without him even noticing. Her hand is on his bare chest, and he knows it is over. She can feel his racing heart, his love, hidden for so long, laid out for her to see. He can feel it coming, her revenge. For pushing her away and leaving her when she wanted him most, he can understand why she will walk away.

So that is why he is surprised when her lips brush his.

He pulls away quickly.

"Katara, what? I thought..." he pauses, looking down at his feet. He tries to swallow the lump, but it feels like a dozen lychee nuts are lodged in his throat. "I thought, after what I did, you would hate me." It kills him to say it.

"Aang, I wanted to. I did, but only in brief flashes. And when I saw your show, it reminded me of everything we went through together. And that was too much, too many feelings to ignore."

She kisses him again, deeper this time, with more passion. And he responds, pulling her close to him, revelling in her smell, her taste, her touch.

She pulls away this time, sighing slightly. And he knows, she's his forever girl.

And she knows, that Aunt Wu was indeed right. She will marry Avatar Aang, the most powerful bender the world has ever seen.

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_Fin_

_Okay, so i wrote this pretty quickly. I can understand if the endings a little bit next will be better!  
_


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